RACIAL PAST AFFECTING FUTURE OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Montgomery's racially divisive past is playing a significant role in discussions about its future.
Officials are attempting to plot a course for the future of Montgomery Public Schools. They must overcome not only a major budget deficit of at least $10 million and a system in need of repair, but also evolving demographics, aging facilities and the tight grip of history.
It's been more than 40 years since Montgomery schools slowly went through the painful and often ugly process of desegregation, but those scars are evident today as the school board considers some of the most sweeping changes in a generation.
"I think people are very concerned about losing things," Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. "They want to make sure what they have for their students is equal and good, and historically that wasn't the case."
The Montgomery County Board of Education is at a precipice, currently weighing a massive proposal that will shutter some schools, consolidate others and redraw attendance boundaries throughout the system.
For months, the decisions before the board have fueled heated public dialogue. Race and the area's troubled past are often mentioned in passing, but there's nothing casual about the impact of segregation on the community and schools.
Race and that time of segregation frame today's debate both from an emotional standpoint and a physical one.
Emotionally, there still is a generation of Montgomerians who lived through segregation and desegregation. Some past decisions were made in Montgomery that were not in the best interest of black students, and people remember that. Today, there is, at best, skepticism about what the school system is doing and, at worst, deep distrust.
Scars from an era defined as "separate but equal" are evident today as some members of the black community struggle to come to terms with changes proposed by MPS that will close a handful of historically black neighborhood schools, such as Houston Hill Junior High, Hayneville Road Elementary and McIntyre Middle.
Officials are attempting to plot a course for the future of Montgomery Public Schools. They must overcome not only a major budget deficit of at least $10 million and a system in need of repair, but also evolving demographics, aging facilities and the tight grip of history.
It's been more than 40 years since Montgomery schools slowly went through the painful and often ugly process of desegregation, but those scars are evident today as the school board considers some of the most sweeping changes in a generation.
"I think people are very concerned about losing things," Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. "They want to make sure what they have for their students is equal and good, and historically that wasn't the case."
The Montgomery County Board of Education is at a precipice, currently weighing a massive proposal that will shutter some schools, consolidate others and redraw attendance boundaries throughout the system.
For months, the decisions before the board have fueled heated public dialogue. Race and the area's troubled past are often mentioned in passing, but there's nothing casual about the impact of segregation on the community and schools.
Race and that time of segregation frame today's debate both from an emotional standpoint and a physical one.
Emotionally, there still is a generation of Montgomerians who lived through segregation and desegregation. Some past decisions were made in Montgomery that were not in the best interest of black students, and people remember that. Today, there is, at best, skepticism about what the school system is doing and, at worst, deep distrust.
Scars from an era defined as "separate but equal" are evident today as some members of the black community struggle to come to terms with changes proposed by MPS that will close a handful of historically black neighborhood schools, such as Houston Hill Junior High, Hayneville Road Elementary and McIntyre Middle.
